List of Columbus Crew head coaches

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A memorial dedicated to Tom Fitzgerald at Historic Crew Stadium. Fitzgerald is the winningest head coach in Crew history. Tom Fitzgerald Memorial.jpg
A memorial dedicated to Tom Fitzgerald at Historic Crew Stadium. Fitzgerald is the winningest head coach in Crew history.

The Columbus Crew is a professional soccer team in the United States. The team is a member of the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league of the United States and Canada. The Crew has had nine different head coaches since joining the league in 1996, one of whom served only in an interim capacity. Timo Liekoski, the only Finnish head coach in MLS history, was the first head coach in 1996, but started 6–16 with just 14 points in its first 22 games, lowest in the league by seven points, and was fired midseason to be replaced by Tom Fitzgerald, who would lead the Crew to the playoffs, amassing 7 wins, 2 draws, and a single loss after taking over for Timo Liekoski. [1] [2] [3]

Tom Fitzgerald would take the Crew to the finals of the 1998 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. [4] Fitzgerald is the club's leader in career wins (86) and playoff wins (nine), and is tied with Gregg Berhalter for first in playoff appearances (four). [5] On May 17, 2001, it was announced that Fitzgerald would be let go by the team. [6]

Greg Andrulis, who replaced Tom Fitzgerald as head coach on an interim basis after the firing of Fitzgerald, became the full-time head coach of the Crew on Oct. 25, 2001. [7] He achieved a significant milestone by leading the Columbus Crew to their first major tournament victory in 2002, winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. [8] [9] [10] In 2004, under Andrulis' guidance, the team won the Supporters' Shield for having the best regular-season record, while also winning an individual award; MLS Coach of the Year, the first time a Crew head coach won the honor. [11] [12] [13] However, Andrulis, who had been with the team since 1997 as an assistant, was fired during the halfway point of the 2005 season, with assistant coach Robert Warzycha taking over for the remainder of the season on an interim basis. [14] [15]

When Sigi Schmid began the 2006 season, it was the first time since the team's founding that a new coach took over in the off-season. He coached the team from 2006 through 2008 and led Columbus to its first MLS Cup championship in 2008, a season in which he also won MLS Coach of the Year, the most recent Crew coach to have won the award. [16] [17] [18] After that season, Schmid left to coach the newly formed Seattle Sounders FC, and former player and assistant coach Robert Warzycha replaced him. [19] Warzycha was the Crew's head coach from 2008 to 2013, and led the Crew to another appearance in the U.S. Open Cup final, losing in 2010 to a Seattle Sounders team led by Sigi Schmid. [20] [21] Warzycha's overall record of 70-59-41 leaves him tied with Tom Fitzgerald for the most regular-season wins as head coach of Columbus. On September 2, 2013, he was let go by the Crew, with Brian Bliss becoming the interim. [22]

Gregg Berhalter was named as head coach as well as sporting director, overseeing all player personnel decisions on November 6, 2013. [23] The Berhalter-coached Columbus Crew teams reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in four out of five seasons, and despite working with a salary budget that ranked in the league's lower half each year, Berhalter led the team to the 2015 MLS Cup Final, [24] losing to the Portland Timbers, coached by Caleb Porter.

On January 4, 2019, the aforementioned Caleb Porter was named as head coach, after Gregg Berhalter left to coach the United States men's national soccer team. [25] [26] Porter led the Crew to its second MLS Cup championship, beating Seattle Sounders FC 3–0, [27] as well as winning the 2021 Campeones Cup. [28] After not making the playoffs in either of the next two seasons after winning the championship, the Crew parted ways with Porter after the 2022 season. [29]

On December 6, 2022, Wilfried Nancy was named as head coach, being hired away from CF Montréal. [30] [31] Columbus would conclude the 2023 regular season as the top-scoring team in MLS, marking the first instance in the franchise's history. Nancy would guide the Crew to an MLS Cup victory his first season in charge, beating the defending champions Los Angeles FC 2–1. [32] With that victory, Nancy also became the first Black head coach in MLS history to win MLS Cup. [33]

Coaches

As of December 10, 2023 [34] [35] [36] [ citation needed ]
CoachTenureMLS Regular Season MLS Cup Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Honors
WLDAppsWLDWL
Flag of Finland.svg Timo Liekoski December 5, 1995 – August 2, 1996616–0——
Flag of the United States.svg Tom Fitzgerald August 2, 1996 – May 17, 2001 70677498073
Flag of the United States.svg Greg Andrulis May 17, 2001 – July 16, 2005 494332324383 U.S. Open Cup – 2002
Supporters' Shield – 2004
MLS Coach of the Year – 2004
Flag of Poland.svg Robert Warzycha (interim) July 16, 2005 – October 20, 20057630—01
Flag of Germany.svg Sigi Schmid October 20, 2005 – December 16, 2008 343325130123 MLS Cup Champion – 2008
Supporters' Shield – 2008
MLS Coach of the Year – 2008
Flag of Poland.svg Robert Warzycha December 23, 2008 – September 2, 2013 635338314034Supporters' Shield – 2009
Flag of the United States.svg Brian Bliss (interim) September 2, 2013 – November 6, 20134400——
Flag of the United States.svg Gregg Berhalter November 6, 2013 – December 2, 2018 675845448335
Flag of the United States.svg Caleb Porter January 4, 2019 – October 10, 2022 595147140012 MLS Cup Champion - 2020
Campeones Cup - 2021
Flag of France.svg Wilfried Nancy December 6, 2022 – present251110151021 MLS Cup Champion - 2023


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References

  1. ↑ "Liekoski Resigns as Coach of Columbus Crew". AP NEWS. August 2, 1996. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ Parks, Brad (August 10, 1996). "UNITED WILL MEET A DIFFERENT CREW". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "1996 Columbus Crew Stats, All Competitions". FBref.com. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ Hakala, Josh (October 31, 1998). "1998 US Open Cup results". thecup.us. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  5. ↑ "2011 Columbus Crew Media Guide" (PDF). Columbus Crew. pp. 89–95. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Fitzgerald fired as coach of MLS Crew". Chicago Tribune. May 18, 2001. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ mlssoccer (August 12, 2023). "Crew ink head coach Andrulis for 2005 | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  8. ↑ Connolly, Marc (November 1, 2002). "ESPN.com - SOCCER - U.S. Open Cup alive and well". www.espn.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ "U.S. OPEN CUP: Garcia goal gives Columbus title". www.socceramerica.com. October 25, 2002. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ Sharrett, Cody (May 29, 2012). "Martino reflects on 2002 US Open Cup victory | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Crew runs unbeaten streak to 18 and wins Supporters' Shield after 1-1 tie at Colorado". OurSports Central. October 17, 2004.
  12. ↑ "2004 Supporters' Shield | MLSsoccer.com". mlssoccer. June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Winners | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. August 12, 2023. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  14. ↑ Danborn, Joe (July 12, 2005). "Crew fire Andrulis as Coach". USA Today.
  15. ↑ Svoboda, Jeff (July 11, 2005). "Crew's Andrulis fired, Warzycha takes over". The Lantern. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Crew caps historic dream season with storybook ending in MLS Cup 2008". OurSports Central. November 26, 2008.
  17. ↑ "MLS Coach of the Year Winners". mlssoccer. June 26, 2023. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ Bell, Jack (November 23, 2008). "Crew Defeats Red Bulls to Win M.L.S. Cup". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ Mitchell, Shawn (December 22, 2008). "Crew stays in-house in hiring Warzycha". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ Clare, Steve (October 6, 2010). "2010 US Open Cup Final: Record crowd sees Seattle Sounders become first repeat champion since 1983". thecup.us. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Nyassi, Sounders top Crew, claim another USOC crown". mlssoccer.com. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Crew parts ways with Head Coach Robert Warzycha | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. September 2, 2013. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Crew names Gregg Berhalter Head Coach and Sporting Director | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  24. ↑ CRANDALL, JEFF (December 2, 2018). "Five Things to Know About U.S. MNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter". www.ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Columbus Crew SC names Tim Bezbatchenko as President and announces Caleb Porter as Head Coach | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. January 4, 2019. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Former USA defender Gregg Berhalter appointed to coach men's national team". The Guardian. December 2, 2018. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  27. ↑ Bogert, Tom (December 12, 2020). "Columbus Crew SC are 2020 MLS Cup champions: Second title in club history | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ Nicholas Quillen, Ian (September 29, 2021). "Columbus Crew wins 2021 Campeones Cup with 2-0 victory over Cruz Azul". ColumbusCrew.com. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Columbus Crew parts ways with Head Coach Caleb Porter | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. October 10, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  30. ↑ Johnson, Bailey (December 6, 2022). "'There is everything here to do something great': Wilfried Nancy introduced as Crew coach". The Columbus Dispatch. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Columbus Crew names Wilfried Nancy as Head Coach". ColumbusCrew.com. Columbus Crew Press Release. December 6, 2022. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  32. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (December 9, 2023). "CHAMPIONS! Columbus Crew lift MLS Cup 2023 over LAFC". mlssoccer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  33. ↑ Sigal, Jonathan (December 9, 2023). "Wilfried Nancy first Black coach to win MLS Cup: "I'm so proud"". mlssoccer. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  34. ↑ https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/mls/columbus-crew/2021/05/10/columbus-crew-sc-look-history-soccer-club-ohio/5021298001/
  35. ↑ https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/columbus-crew-head-coach-greg-andrulis-relieved-head-coaching-duties
  36. ↑ https://www.columbuscrew.com/club/technical-staff/wilfried-nancy
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